Posthuman Blues

I have a couple book reviews in the new issue of Mysteries Magazine (John Keel's "The Complete Guide to Mysterious Beings" and Bruce Sterling's "Tomorrow Now"). The cover story is devoted to the annual predictions of a self-proclaimed psychic. Glancing at her forecasts, I realized I have yet to offer much down-and-dirty New Year futurism here at Posthuman Blues. Since it's still January, here are my predictions for 2004. None of them are etched in stone, and I don't claim to have any paranormal inspiration. Still interested?

Decision 2004. Bush wins. Or perhaps "wins" isn't quite the right word. Bottom line: He isn't going anywhere. I don't mean to sound defeatist, and I certainly don't want to help contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you're backing a Democratic contender, go for it. But get real.

Human cloning. I have the feeling we'll be hearing quite a bit about this in 2004. In fact, the odds are good that it's already been done and that the "big news" won't be an announcement that the procedure has been successfully completed in some off-the-map embryo lab, but confirmation that at least one human clone now walks (or, more likely, crawls) among us.

New diseases. This is a "gimme." There will be interesting twists on SARS and BSE. Some deaths, but nothing anyone can rightly call apocalyptic. Yet.





Life on Mars. With the European Space Agency keenly observing the Red Planet via the Mars Express orbiter, we're likely to hear about some exciting finds the NASA/JPL bureaucracy has been reluctant to publicize. (This appears to be happening already in a small way.)

Iraq/Afghanistan. Lots of dead U.S. soldiers and civilians. Another "gimme."

The "War on Terror." Pretty much like 2003 but with more dramatic emphasis. Expect more cryptic evidence that Osama bin Laden is alive and well and as evil as ever.

Nanotechnology. Critical steps made toward microscopic self-replicating systems, hand in hand with new DNA scanning techniques.

Artificial intelligence. 2004 will produce the best-yet approximation of a true "cybernetic organism," using organic nerve cells and micro-electronics to produce a form of spontaneous "thinking" . . . prompting inevitable philosophical squabbling over the nature of consciousness. Anti-AI sentiment spikes among garden-variety neophobes and religious fundamentalists.

Greenhouse effect. Although 2003 was actually cooler than 2002, 2004 will top record books as the overall hottest documented year in history. Look out for massive ocean-bound chunks of ice as the poles continue melting.